COLOMBO: Thirty seven persons have died and 223, 687 have been rendered homeless by heavy rains and landslides in the hilly Central regions of Sri Lanka as hundreds of army personnel joined government officials, police, volunteers and the Sri Lanka Red Cross in round-the-clock search and rescue operations, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said on Wednesday.
Earlier reports said that 200 to 400 may have died and 200 families are missing.
Rescue workers have so far recovered 16 bodies at Aranayake and Bulathkohupitiya, and taken 350 people to safety, officials said. Aranayake in Kegalle District, 70 km north of Colombo, is the worst hit by landslides.
It was in Aranayake that 200 families were reported missing. Out of these 180 persons have been rescued, a report said on Wednesday.
Army spokesman Brig. Jayanath Jayaweera said 15 officers and 266 other ranks are on rescue missions at Aranayake, aided by army sniffer-dogs. The men are drawn from the commando, engineer and medical units of the army.
The worst affected villages in Aranayake are: Siripura, Elangapitiya, and Pallebage. Rescue work is hampered by swollen rivers, torrential rains and lack of electricty.
Local villagers, volunteer teams and hospital staff from outside are also putting their shoulders to the wheel. The District Administration of Gampaha has asked people to donate rations, water and sanitary materials to those who are in temporary shelters.
HOTLINE TO SIRISENA
President Maithripala Sirisena visited Aranayake Wednesday morning and ordered the rescue workers, government officials and army troops to put in their best. He has given a hotline number, 1919 designated as “Speak to the President”, to enable people to report to him if no government official visits them.
Government has cancelled leave granted to its staff, and schools have been advised to close if pupils cannot attend. In the North Western Province, 25 schools have already been closed.
Meanwhile ,the Kelani river outside Colombo, is rising ,prompting the authorities to advice people living on its banks to go to safer places. Electric supply to Kelaniya town has been cut to prevent electrocution which is one of the causes of deaths in these floods caused by incessant and heavy rain since May 14. However, Colombo city itself has had no rain since Tuesday.